Apparatus for making micro-abrasions, particularly on human tissue or on hides

ABSTRACT

Apparatus for making micro-abrasions, particularly on human tissue, including a handle having an aperture which is intended to be positioned on the surface to be treated, and a nipple device for the metered supply of reducing substances in a pneumatic carrier to the aperture of the handle. The supply device comprises only a vacuum source connected to the handle to draw the reducing substances towards the aperture of the handle. A collector device is provided for collecting the used substances for disposal.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates in general to apparatus for makingmicro-abrasions, particularly for cosmetic and/or therapeutic treatmentof human tissue (the removal of scars and stretch marks), as well as forthe treatment of hides and similar adherent and non-transpiringmaterials.

More particularly, the invention is concerned with apparatus of the typeincluding a handle having an inlet passage and an outlet passage whichcommunicate with an aperture intended to be positioned on the surface tobe treated, and means for the metered supply of reducing substances in apneumatic carrier to the aperture of the handle.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object of the present invention is to produce apparatus of the typedefined above, which is simple and cheap to produce and is veryeffective in operation.

According to the invention, this object is achieved by virtue of thefact that the means for supplying the reducing substances comprise onlya vacuum source connected to the outlet passage of the handle fordrawing the reducing substances towards the aperture of the handlethrough the inlet passage thereof.

The aperture of the handle preferably has a configuration which can beadapted substantially sealingly to the surface to be treated.

According to one preferred embodiment of the invention, the inletpassage of the handle is connected to a supply container for thereducing substances which has in its base a plurality of air-intakeapertures with associated regulator valve means, and the outlet passageof the handle is connected to a discharge container which has an outletaperture connected to a vacuum pump.

Filter members are conveniently associated with the intake apertures ofthe supply container for achieving a shaking up of the reducingsubstances by means of the valve and regulating means.

Conveniently, the supply container is provided with electrical means forheating the reducing substances.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention willbecome clear from the detailed description which follows with referenceto the appended drawing, provided by way of non-limiting example whichshows apparatus for making micro-abrasions according to the invention,in diagrammatic form.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

With reference to the drawing, a handle, schematically indicated 1,normally has anatomically-shaped grip and is provided at one end with aninterchangeable head 2 which can assume shapes different from thatillustrated, in dependence on the use for which the apparatus isintended. In this instance, the head 2 has an inclined front wall 3forming an aperture 4 which is adapted to be positioned, in use, on thesurface 30 to be treated as shown in the drawing.

The aperture 4 communicates at one side with an inlet passage 5 and atthe opposite side with an outlet passage 6, and these are connected torespective tubes 7, 8 connected to the handle 1. The inclination of thewall 3, and hence of the aperture 4, to the inlet passage 5 is of theorder of 45°. The inlet passage is oriented substantially perpendicularto the outlet passage.

The tube 8 is connected through an inlet connector 9 to a recoverycontainer 10 having an outlet connector 11 with an associated filtermember 12. The outlet connector 11 is connected to an intake tube 13which is connected to an electric vacuum pump 15 through a vacuum-gauge14 with a regulator.

The tube 7 is connected to a base connector 16 of a supply container 17into which a quantity of reducing substances S, normally constituted byabrasive particles of various sizes, is introduced. At rest, thereducing substances S occupy the lower region of the container 17,beneath the mouth of an intake tube 18 which communicates with the baseconnector 16 and has a hole 28 at its lower end. According to a variant,not illustrated, the intake tube 18 may open outside the container 17.

A passage 19 is situated in the base of the container 17 andcommunicates with the atmosphere through a valve system, generallyindicated 20, including a pair of one-way valves 21, 22 supplied by asolenoid valve 23.

The passage 19 opens into an annular manifold 24 formed in the base ofthe container 17 and communicating with the interior thereof through aring of axial holes 25 with associated intake and shaking filters 26.

An electrical resistor 27 is also inserted in the container 17 forheating the reducing substances S.

In use, after the vacuum pump 15 has been activated, the head 2 isapplied against the surface to be treated, with the aperture 4 arrangedin correspondence with the region on which the micro-abrasions are to bemade. The closure of the hole 4 closes the intake circuit and the vacuumgenerated in the aperture 4 causes the almost hermetic adhesion of thesurface to be treated against the edge of the aperture 4. The softer andmore resilient the surface, the tighter will be the seal: in the case ofhuman tissue, hermetic adhesion to the edge of the aperture 4 isachieved even with moderate values of the vacuum generated by the vacuumpump 15.

As a result of the vacuum, the reducing substances S held in thecontainer 17 are sucked through the hole 28 together with the air whichis drawn through the tube 18, the apertures 25 and the valve unit 20,and reach the aperture 4 under vacuum through the tube 7 and the inletpassage 5. The reducing substances S pass over that region of thesurface to be treated which is delimited by the aperture 4, causingmicro-abrasions, and reach the container 10 through the outlet connector6 and the tube 8, being collected therein together with the particlesand detritus removed from the surface being treated.

The degree of micro-abrasion caused on the surface under treatment isadjustable by the operation of both the regulator 14 associated with thevacuum pump 15 and the solenoid valve unit 20, whereby the flow ofatmospheric air sucked into the container 17 is regulated automatically.Moreover, the air inlet can be closed by means of the valve unit 20 tocreate a vacuum in the container 17, the readmittance of air through theapertures 25 and the filters 26 effectively shaking up the mass ofreducing substances S in the container 17 and thus preventingcavitation.

Naturally, the forms of embodiment and details of construction of theapparatus may be varied widely with respect to those described andillustrated, without thereby departing from the scope of the presentinvention.

Thus, for example, the vacuum pump could be replaced by equivalent meansadapted to create a vacuum in correspondence with the handle.

I claim:
 1. Apparatus for making micro-abrasions, particularly on humantissue and on adherent and non-transpiring bodies in general, includinga handle having an inlet passage and an outlet passage which communicatewith an aperture intended to be positioned on and sealingly closed bythe surface to be treated, said aperture being inclined at substantially45° to the inlet passage of the handle with the inlet passage disposedperpendicular to the outlet passage, means for generating an air flow,means for the metered supply of reducing substances in the said air flowto the aperture of the handle, and a supply container for the reducingsubstances connected to the inlet passage of the handle, wherein thesaid means for generating an air flow is a vacuum source connected tothe outlet passage of the handle for drawing the reducing substancestowards the aperture of the handle as a result of the closure of theaperture by the surface to be treated, and further comprising acollecting container interposed between the outlet passage of the handleand the said vacuum source and connected thereto, the said collectingcontainer being adapted to collect in operation the used reducingsubstances and being provided with means to prevent reuse of saidcollected reducing substances during operation of the vacuum source. 2.Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the supply container has a baseformed with a plurality of air-intake apertures with associatedregulation valve means, each of the said intake apertures having arespective associated filter member adapted to cause a shaking up of thesaid reducing substances by means of the said regulation valve means. 3.Apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the supply container has aclosed top and an inner intake tube having a lower end communicatingwith the inlet passage of the handle through the said base, and an upperend placed above the level of the reducing substances within the supplycontainer.
 4. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the collectingcontainer has a closed top provided with an outlet having an associatedfilter member and connected to the intake of the said vacuum source. 5.Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the supply container is providedwith electrical means for heating the reducing substances.
 6. Apparatusaccording to claim 1, wherein the handle is provided with aninterchangeable head which carries the said aperture.